Hair clip

ABSTRACT

A hair clip for hair dressing and hair fashion is disclosed. In one embodiment, the hair clip has a plurality of discrete fingers, each finger having a first or tip end and a second or base end; and a tensioning means. In one embodiment, the fingers lie adjacent each other in a single plane; each finger is linked to an adjacent finger by a hinge means, which enables the tip end of the fingers to be opened or closed with respect to each other; and the tensioning means biases the tip ends of the fingers in a closed position.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is a continuation of International PatentApplication Number PCT/GB00/04214, filed Nov. 3, 2000. Then entirecontents of the prior application is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to hair dressing and hair fashion,and in particular, to a hair clip that comprises a plurality of fingers.

[0003] Historically, hair grips and clips have been available in manydifferent forms, ranging from a simple length of shaped spring wire bentdouble, to clips consisting of two parts held closed by spring action.When placed in the hair, such hair clips are suitable for holding thehair in a certain configuration. Generally, however, they suffer fromthe problem that they are not capable of holding a plurality of strandsor bunches of hair and they are only capable of holding hair over anarrow distance on the head.

[0004] A further disadvantage of known hair clips is that they are notcapable of gripping the hair, propping it up and promoting it to standaway from the head adjacent the hair roots, while allowing the looseends of the hair to fall naturally.

[0005] Therefore, a need exists for a new hair clip that addresses theproblems associated with known hair clips. In particular, it would bedesirable to provide a hair clip that holds a person's hair over a widerdistance than known hair clips; that holds the hair propped up away fromthe head, adjacent the scalp, while allowing the ends of the hair tofall freely; and that provides an attractive alternative to known hairclips. The present invention provides each of these desirable features.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Remarkably, it has now been found that a clip having a pluralityof fingers adjacent each other, and which are tensioned to grip hairbetween the fingers, is more likely to hold more than one bunch of hair;is more likely to be able to hold the hair over a wide distance acrossthe head; and is more likely to hold the hair away from the headadjacent the roots of the hair. The design of a new clip has resultedfrom a desire to hold not one, but many separate strands of hair over awider distance across the head than is possible with normal known clips,and to encourage the hair to stand away from the head before fallingdown naturally.

[0007] Within the context of the description that follows, “comprises”is intended to mean “includes, among other things”, and is not intendedto be construed as “consists only of”.

[0008] The present invention provides a hair clip that comprises aplurality of fingers, each finger having a first or tip end and a secondor base end; and a tensioning means; wherein the fingers lie adjacenteach other side by side in a single plane; each finger is linked to anadjacent finger by a hinge means such that the tip ends of the fingersmay be opened or closed with respect to each other; and the tensioningmeans biases the tip ends of the fingers in a closed position.

[0009] Advantageously, an embodiment of a hair clip according to theinvention mimics the action of a hand running through the hair, grippingthe hair between the fingers and holding the hair in the form of showeror spray away from the scalp. Preferably, a hinge means links eachfinger to its adjacent finger(s).

[0010] Preferably, an embodiment of a hair clip according to the presentinvention will have fingers linked together side by side, by aninterlocking key and slot arrangement, thereby forming a multiplefingered clip. Advantageously, the key and slot arrangement ensures thatthe fingers, when assembled, neither rotate nor slide in any directionrelative to each other, i. e., the fingers are inhibited from movingrelative to each other in any direction except the desired scissor typemovement.

[0011] Preferably, an embodiment of a hair clip according to the presentinvention has fingers that are held together by a tensioning means,comprising a tension spring having two ends. More preferably, thetension spring is anchored at both of its ends to the outermost fingers.The tensioning means causes the fingers to close and grip firmlywhatever is positioned between the fingers, e.g., strands of hair.

[0012] Most preferably, the spring is positioned in a tunnel formed fromopenings defined in each adjacent intermediate finger. In this manner,the tension spring will preferably pass through the tunnel and beanchored at each end to one of the outermost fingers.

[0013] In one such embodiment, the tensioning means comprises a lengthof elastic material, such as, for example, a rubber band. In yet anotherembodiment, the tensioning means includes a rubber bungee insertedthrough the intermediate fingers and secured at the ends of the bungeeto the outermost fingers or to a stout rubber band or other elasticdevice, positioned around the outside of all of the fingers, justforward of a pivot point. In a preferred embodiment, the elastic devicepasses through a recessed slot on the underside of the clip, reducingthe chance of hair getting caught or tangled in the elastic.

[0014] These tensioning means provide the advantage of allowing a userto assemble the hair clip in various different configurations,comprising a varying number and/or color of fingers, and allowing easyreplacement of the tensioning means if snapped.

[0015] Preferably, each intermediate finger includes an openingextending therethrough, proximate the second end, through which atension spring is positioned and then secured at the ends of the springto the outermost fingers. In a preferred embodiment, the spring iscoated, for example, in a plastic or similar material, or is enclosed ina tube, preferably formed of a plastic or similar material. In addition,preferably gaps where the spring is exposed are minimized by optimisingthe spring design. Advantageously, this will minimize the chance of hairgetting tangled in the spring wire when the spring is extended.

[0016] Preferably, the openings through which the spring passes, arelocated just a little forward of the hinge pivot. Preferably, the springhas a small outside diameter, more preferably 5 mm or less, and itprovides adequate but not excessive tension with little stretch. Anadvantage of a low stretch spring is that it minimizes the chance ofhair being caught in the exposed spring coils when the spring isstretched. The spring ends are preferably of the open hook type.

[0017] The end of the tensioning means may be anchored by a peg, whichis positioned for example, inside a recess in each outside finger.Preferably, the peg is of a size that accommodates a hook at the end ofthe tensioning means and the recess allows the hook to pass behind thepeg before being anchored to the peg. Preferably, the peg is insertedthrough the eye of a tensioning means, e.g., a spring, during assemblyof the hair clip.

[0018] In another embodiment, the end of the tensioning means may beanchored by a disk, which may, for example, be positioned inside arecess in each outermost finger. Preferably, a slot through the diskextends radially to the disc, through the longitudinal axis of the diskand has an end just beyond the longitudinal axis of the disk. Preferablya spring wire tensioning means is anchored by the disk and the slot hasa sufficient width to receive the diameter of the spring wire.Preferably, a channel through the disk parallel to the longitudinal axisof the disk is positioned between the end of the slot and the edge ofthe disk. Preferably, the diameter of the channel is sufficient toaccommodate a spring wire.

[0019] In use, a hook formed in the spring wire is looped through theslot and the channel, and the end of the spring wire is positionedadjacent the channel. Preferably, the disk is manufactured of a metalmaterial, such as, for example, steel, which provides the advantage thatit can be machined without difficulty.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, a tensioning means is incorporatedinto each key such that when the key is inserted into a slot, an attemptto open the fingers of the hair clip meets resistance and a tendency toreturn the fingers of the hair clip to the closed position.

[0021] Yet another tensioning arrangement comprises a leaf or torsionspring positioned between a pair of fingers, adjacent a hinge betweenthe fingers, between the hinge and the second end of the fingers. Apivot rod is secured through a pivot provided by the hinge and preventsthe fingers from separating.

[0022] Preferably, an embodiment of a hair clip according to theinvention has fingers wherein the overall shape of each finger is suchthat at least one surface of the assembled clip accords to a section ofthe outside surface of a sphere approximating the dimensions of an adulthuman cranium. More preferably, the underside of the assembled clipconforms to a section of the surface of a sphere of dimensionsapproximating the size of a human cranium. Preferably the sphere has adiameter of about 250 mm to about 350 mm, more preferably about 300 mm.

[0023] Tests have shown that if the hair clip has a fiat base, it doesnot sit well on the head. Accordingly, the spheroid underside of thehair clip of the present invention enables the clip to sit snuglyagainst the scalp. Preferably the spheroid has a diameter of 300 mm,being roughly the size of an adult human head. Preferably the base ofeach individual finger between each of its ends is curved and lies onthe surface of the spheroid and the base of each finger between each ofits sides is curved and lies on the surface of the spheroid. Preferablythe sides of each finger extend radially from the circumference of aspheroid of diameter 300 mm, which advantageously enables each finger,when placed next to an adjacent finger, to lie on the surface of a 300mm diameter spheroid.

[0024] While if enough fingers are used, they could, in theory, form acomplete annulus, a clip of the present invention will preferablycomprise up to about twelve fingers. This provides a hair clip that isas wide as would typically be practical.

[0025] Preferably, an embodiment of a hair clip according to theinvention has fingers having sides that comprise a plurality ofprojections. Preferably the side surfaces comprise a plurality ofinterlocking projections and/or indents. Preferably, there are at leasttwo projections and/or indents on each finger, and more preferably thereare at least three. The projections and/or indents provide the advantagethat they grip hair. It will be appreciated that the projections couldbe of any cross section. For example, the projections could comprisemounds or cylinders of circular, elliptical, triangular, rectangular,square or other polygon cross section. In a preferred embodiment theindents are shaped to receive a corresponding projection on an adjacentfinger.

[0026] In a further embodiment, the projections and/or indents areprovided by undulations in the side surfaces of each finger. Preferably,the undulations extend between the first end and the second end of atleast one finger. Alternatively, or in addition, the undulations extendbetween the top and the base of at least one finger. More preferably,the undulations are provided on the side surfaces of at least theintermediate fingers. Most preferably, the undulations are provided inthe side surfaces of each finger where the fingers are capable ofgripping hair.

[0027] Preferably, an embodiment of a hair clip according to theinvention has fingers wherein at least the outermost fingers comprisehandles adjacent the second end of the fingers. Preferably, the handlesare positioned at the second end of at least the outermost fingers. Morepreferably, they are at the second end of each finger. Preferably, whenan embodiment of a hair clip according to the invention is in use, thehandles are the only part of the clip that is visible and the remainderof the clip is obscured by hair. In a preferred embodiment, the handlesare removable or detachable, which allows the hair clip to bepersonalized, for example, by providing handles having various colors ontheir surface and/or a set of handles having alpha numeric characters ontheir surface. The characters could be used, for example, to spell aname.

[0028] The overall dimensions of each finger must be appropriate so thatthe assembled clip is not cumbersome. If the widest part of each fingeris too narrow the taper to each handle is reduced, thus reducing theamount that the space between adjacent fingers can be opened. It will beappreciated that the taper from the greatest width of the fingers to thehandles is in direct proportion to the distance that the finger tipsopen with respect to each other. Therefore, the shape and size of thehandles must be appropriate; if the end of each handle is too big thefingers do not open sufficiently. In contrast, if the end of each handleis too small, depending on the material used in the manufacture, thehandle might not have sufficient strength to overcome the tensionprovided by the tensioning means.

[0029] Preferably, the fingers of an embodiment of a hair clip accordingto the invention have a certain minimum depth of at least about 5 mm attheir deepest, more preferably about 13 mm, and the depth tapers towardsboth ends. It is the side surface of each finger that grips hair,therefore the depth must be optimized to provide the greatest grip. Inaddition, if the depth is too small it does not provide sufficient sizefor construction of a tunnel created by the apertures through each ofthe fingers for the tensioning means or an outer key/plug recess.

[0030] Preferably, the handles are of minimal length, preferably lessthan 20 mm, more preferably less than 10 mm, yet commensurate withhaving sufficient leverage to overcome the tension provided by thetensioning means. It will be appreciated that this does not rule out theembodiments wherein the handles are extended for mechanical ordecorative purposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] A specific embodiment will now be described by way of example,with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0032]FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of a hair clip of the presentinvention having fingers in a closed position;

[0033]FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment of a hair clip of the presentinvention having fingers in an open position;

[0034]FIG. 3 shows the key side of an individual finger of an embodimentof a hair clip of the present invention;

[0035]FIG. 4 shows the slot side of the individual finger depicted inFIG. 3; and

[0036]FIG. 5 is a plan view of the individual finger depicted in FIGS. 3and 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] For the purposes of clarity and a concise description, featuresare described herein as part of the same or separate embodiments, itwill, however, be appreciated that the scope of the invention mayinclude embodiments having combinations of all or some of thesefeatures.

[0038] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, an embodiment of an assembledhair clip (1) comprises a plurality of discrete fingers (10, 11, 12),including a first outermost finger (10), a number of intermediatefingers (11) and a second outermost finger (12), held in a closedposition by a tensioning means (13). In use, under the action oftensioning means, the fingers can be opened with respect to each other,as shown in FIG. 2, by squeezing together the detachable finger handles(14, 15) and then closed with respect to each other, as shown in FIG. 1,by releasing the finger handles.

[0039] As depicted in the drawings, the hair clip (1) comprises a numberof individual fingers, the tips of which open relative to each other,and when closed grip material, e.g., hair, between the fingers firmly.Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, it can be seen that in this specificembodiment, a key (16) comprising a semi circular cylinder is providedon one side of each of intermediate fingers (11) and on the inner sideof outermost finger (12). Keys (16) are configured to fit intocorresponding slots (17) defined by a semi circular cylindrical cavitylocated in the opposing side of each intermediate finger (11) and in theinner side of outermost finger (10). The key (16) and slot (17) togetherprovide a hinge and assist in preventing movement in certain directionsof the fingers relative to each other.

[0040] As can be envisioned from FIGS. 3 and 4, the individual fingersare assembled by pushing key (16) of a first finger into slot (17) of asecond finger, ensuring that the tips (2) of each finger are adjacent toeach other.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 5, the sides of each finger proximate the keyand slot, taper in a direction towards the tip (2) of the finger and ina direction away from the tip (2) of the finger. A hinge is formed withadjacent fingers because the key and slot are positioned on the fingersat the point where the sides are at their maximum distance from eachother, i.e., at the point of each finger's maximum width (18).Preferably, the center of each key and slot is located at this point ofmaximum width (18), whereby each finger is free to rotate or pivot aboutpoint (18).

[0042] It should be understood that various changes and modifications tothe presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent tothose skilled in the art. For example, it will be appreciated that thehair clip may be manufactured in a variety of alternative sizes to suitvarious age groups, hair types, hair styles, etc.. Such changes andmodifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention and without diminishing its many advantages. Assuch, it is intended that such changes and modifications are encompassedby the following claims.

We claim:
 1. A hair clip comprising: (a) a plurality of fingers, eachhaving a first tip end and a second base end, the fingers lying adjacenteach other side by side in a single plane, each finger linked to anadjacent finger by a hinge means located proximate the second end ofeach finger, wherein the first tip ends of the fingers may be opened orclosed with respect to each other; and (b) a tensioning means locatedproximate the second base end, the tensioning means biases the first tipend of the fingers in a closed position.
 2. The hair clip according toclaim 1, comprising two outermost fingers and a plurality ofintermediate fingers.
 3. The hair clip according to claim 1, wherein thehinge means comprises an interlocking key and slot arrangement, whereina key located in a first finger is configured to interlock with acorresponding slot located in an adjacent finger.
 4. The hair clipaccording to claim 1, wherein the tensioning means is chosen from atension spring, a length of elastic material, a rubber band and a rubberbungee.
 5. The hair clip according to claim 1, wherein the tensioningmeans is anchored to the outermost fingers.
 6. The hair clip accordingto claim 2, wherein each of the intermediate fingers has an openingtherethrough proximate the second end and in line with the opening inadjacent fingers, wherein the tensioning means is positioned through theadjacent openings in the intermediate fingers.
 7. The hair clipaccording to claim 1, wherein the tensioning means is positioned aroundthe outside of all the fingers.
 8. The hair clip according to claim 7,wherein the underside of each finger has a recessed slot in line withthe recessed slot in adjacent fingers, and the tensioning means ispositioned therein.
 9. The hair clip according to claim 1, wherein thetensioning means is coated or enclosed in a tube.
 10. The hair clipaccording claim 1, wherein the tensioning means is positioned betweenthe hinge and the first tip end of the fingers.
 11. The hair clipaccording to claim 1, wherein the tensioning means is anchored by a pegor disk inside a recess in the inner surface of each outermost finger.12. The hair clip according to claim 1, wherein the fingers have a shapesuch that at least the underside surface of the assembled clip accordsto a section of the outside surface of a sphere approximating thedimensions of an adult human cranium.
 13. The hair clip according toclaim 1, wherein the adjacent sides of two or more fingers include aplurality of projections and/or indents, wherein a projection on onefinger interlocks with an indent on the adjacent finger.
 14. The hairclip according to claim 13, wherein there are at least two projectionsand/or indents on each finger.
 15. The hair clip according to claim 13,wherein the indents are openings configured to receive a correspondinglyconfigured projection in the opposing side surface of an adjacent fingeror the projections and indents are provided by undulations in theopposing side surfaces of adjacent fingers.
 16. The hair clip accordingto claim 1, wherein at least the outermost fingers have handlesproximate the second ends of the fingers.
 17. The hair clip according toclaim 16, wherein the handles extend from the second ends of at leastthe outermost fingers.
 18. The hair clip according to claim 16, whereineach of the fingers has a handle proximate the second end of the finger.19. The hair clip according to claim 16, wherein the handles areremovable or detachable.
 20. The hair clip according claim 16, whereinthe handles are of various colors and/or include alpha numericcharacters on their surface.